Nowhere to go

LEWISPORTE - Parents of children enrolled in the BURPS program in Lewisporte are concerned that once their children turn one, they have no where to go.

These parents are placing great emphasis on the importance of early learning for their children and feel there is a need for support services for families in the Lewisporte area. They would like to see a family resource centre established for the benefit of parents and children from the area.

Central Health coordinates the BURPS program, which provides support services for children, and their parents, from birth to age one. Beyond that there are no other groups or facilities for parents to go with their children. There are facilities and services where parents can drop their children off but none where parents have the opportunity to get together and share past experiences and advice, something these parents feel is certainly needed.

Lisette Winsor has a newborn daughter and three-year-old son. While she has already experienced life with a newborn, life with a preschooler is new to her.

"I'd like to interact with parents of other preschoolers to get some insight on some strategies I can do to get him out of the bad things he is doing," she said.

Ms. Winsor said one of the best sources of information is other parents who are going through similar stages in their child's life, or a parent who has already gone through that particular stage.

Ms. Winsor said that while her son is nearing school age, she has a newborn daughter and she sees the need to have a family resource center established. While she would benefit from it, she feels that for other new parents it would be a great resource that would be there for them if they should need it.

Jennifer Freake recently relocated to Lewisporte from St. John's where she lived for 10 years.

"We actually moved the same month that Preston was born and I was concerned about it because there was a world full of opportunities in St. John's," said Ms. Freake. "We wanted to move home to be close to our family because this is where we are from. So that was a major concern of mine about having different opportunities, there were endless programs and educational things in St. John's that he could attend."

Ms. Freake said she has friends in St. John's who have small children and they are always attending some function geared toward their child.

"It is actually pretty sad that as a small community, just because we are out here there aren't more things for families and for young children. In St. John's, I guess because it is a city, there are endless things."

Annette Budden has two children, Rachael is five months and Caleb was three in January.

"We have been living in Lewisporte for three years, I am originally from Fogo Island," explained Ms. Budden. "Rachael is five months, this is her second time to BURPS because there is nobody to take Caleb. My husband is in Alberta; he is gone three weeks out of a month so there is no one to take Caleb. Rachael has to miss out because there is no one to take him."

Ms. Budden feels that her son Caleb is also missing out.

"He is missing out on the interaction with other kids because there is nothing for him," she said.

Ms. Budden said she would like to see a family resource center that would accommodate children from birth to age five established to serve parents from the Lewisporte area. This would provide her with a place where she could take both her children.

Ms. Budden's situation is not unique to her. She said she knows of other parents out there who can't take part in the BURPS program because they have other small children and don't have family nearby that can take the other child.

"I know of another girl who lives in Birchy Bay, her daughter is the same age as mine, her son is the same age as mine and I have never seen her at BURPS," explained Ms. Budden. "She has made the same comments, she can't come because of her little boy, and there is no one to take him."

As a nurse, Flora Miles might have knowledge she can share with other parents, but once her daughter turns one, there is nowhere for her to interact with these other parents. She would like to see something beyond BURPS.

"We have this BURPS organization so we are sharing information now at this age and if we continue on with this group, obviously we will be able to continue on with more information - being able to bring it to each other, between each other," she said.

Ms. Miles said right now the children in BURPS are building a bond but once they turn one they don't have any interaction again until they are old enough to start pre-school at age three.

"Lilly just started BURPS because Lilly is only five months old but since then she has been invited already to three birthdays, people that I probably would never know or probably knew but she would never have had that interaction with only for this group," she said.

Sherry Thomas of Brown's Arm would like to have somewhere for her daughter to go once she turns one.

"Between the ages of one until three when she gets to go to pre-school, there is no where for her to go to interact with other children, It is fine that she is learning to interact with other children now but from ages one to three, which are the most beneficial ages to interact (with other children), there is nowhere for her to go so she loses all those little skills that she has - to play with kids, to get along and to share, that's all gone before she gets three."

With a growing population of young families in the area, the BURPS group feels there is a lack of services for these families.

"These supportive environments and groups encourage families to become empowered and thus contributing members in society," said a spokesperson for the group.

The mom's at the BURPS group said they want to create awareness in the area and seek out potential solutions. They are hoping that someone out there, some church or service organization will come forward and offer a space they can use to try to establish a family resource centre for the benefit of their children and the future community leaders.

"We need to know how many parents would like to bring their children to a family resource centre so they can interact, if it is only three of four parents, and three or four kids then it is not worth it to get together as a group but if we have a dozen kids that come to BURPS, then we need it for the children," said Ms. Budden.